On Mal and Important Questions
by Pink Mockingjay in Hufflepuff
Summary: He had never been more excited and terrified in his entire life. *A Ben-centered short fic for Hazel.
_**This is a fic for one of my best friends. We had a deal and this was my end- a Ben-centered fic. She held up her end, so here it is! It's short and sweet, but do enjoy!**_

 ** _Set 4 or so years after the movie._**

* * *

Ben sighed nervously as he scrolled down his social media feed for what felt like the three hundredth time that day. It was the only thing he could do. He couldn't concentrate on paperwork or even read. His brain was anxious mush.

One of the stranger parts of being king was that practically everyone in the country who had social media was following him. Not that he ever posted anything super personal or bad, but it was still sort if weird that everyone could see everything he posted. But honestly, it wasn't worth the effort to make separate accounts when all he tended to post was how oddly cold it was outside or that he really, really wanted cake for whatever reason.

He followed his friends and looking at their posts was, for whatever reason, helping him stay relatively calm. Evie was keeping Mal busy for the day and kept posting updates, which, luckily wasn't unusual, but the posts were specifically for him that day to keep him in the loop.

Mal had put up quite the protest when Evie insisted she be ready by nine in the morning for a girls' day, but she had complied and was out if the house with her best friend by quarter after nine, leaving a very anxious Ben in the castle.

The day was going to be the longest day of his life and he was well aware of that. But it would be worth it.

Hopefully.

He wasn't exactly sure what her reaction would be. He didn't have any idea if she wanted it. Any 'typical' girl would have probably been dropping hints for years by that point. But Mal wasn't a typical girl by any means. She was shockingly different, a complex and interesting breath of fresh air in a land full of girls that had grown up being taught that perfection was the only option.

She was sweet, she was bitter. She was protective, but she wanted to be held when there were thunderstorms. She was ridiculously brave, but she panicked in open bodies of water. She was sassy, she was shy. Her laugh was contagious, but she rarely let herself cry. It all depended on the situation. It was an honor just to have gotten to know her and how she processed information and how she adapted to new situations.

Part of his mind- the prince part- blathered on about true love and how nothing else should matter, but the rest if him new better.

He loved Mal more than anything in the world. She was amazing. She was the most incredible person he had ever met. He love her so much and he knew she loved him back.

But it wasn't just a matter of love anymore.

He was going to asks her to marry him, to spend the rest their lives together. That wasn't all, though. By agreeing to be his wife, she would also be agreeing to become queen. She would consent to have a title and responsibilities shoved into her lap. She would agree to the inevitability of eventually becoming a mother to the heir of the country. With a simple word, her future would be sealed.

That was a lot to say yes to.

He wouldn't be upset if she said no.

But he didn't know what she would say, so he decided to give it a shot.

He was taking her to the ruins in the woods by the Enchanted Lake where they had their first date. There seemed to be no better place to propose to her than the exact spot he knew that he loved her.

It was going to be a simple and quiet occasion. Mal didn't like big and flashy. His love potion induced serenade may have been the exception, but she often told him that was only because the circumstances surrounding it were vastly different.

Ben agreed with her. The world could feel feel free to know that he was in love with her, but the extent of their love and how they showed each other was no one's business but theirs. If she said yes, they could tell everyone, but they didn't have to go into specifics.

A notification came across Ben's screen. Evie posted something. He clicked on it.

"What a beautiful day!"

Good. The weather was cooperating. Perfect.

Ben sat on his bed. It was pretty clear that he shared his room with Mal. There was an extra blanket on his bed, a fuzzy purple one, because she tended to get cold easily at night. A pink stuffed dragon was sitting on the night stand because she held onto it when she was having a bad day. There were dresses in his closet and a hairbrush on his desk and his whole room smelled vaguely sweet. Her presence was subtle but obvious. They had lived together like that unofficially since they graduated high school. Not much would have to change if she did agree to marry him.

He pulled the little box out if his pocket where he had put it so he would forget it. The ring itself was silver with a purple stone in the center surrounded by small diamonds. It was a little out of the ordinary and rather simple, but beautiful. Just like Mal.

He closed the box and shoved it back into his pocket before returning to his scrolling.

A smile slipped onto his face. In a few hours, he could be engaged to the girl if his dreams.

He had never been more excited and terrified in all his life.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I hope this was good and that you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading! Please leave me your thoughts if you'd like. I really appreciate it!**_

 ** _Thanks again!_**

 ** _And Hazel- you rock! Love you! :)_**


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